Bourgogne Des Flandres - Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.

stewart124

Ohio

3.09/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Dark mahogany in color with some haze and visible carbonation. A bit of lace but nothing to write home about.

Caramel and tart cherry in the nose.

More caramel in the taste but it comes as a sweeter note. Something in the way of soda-like in character. Easy to drink throughout but not something I could drink more than one of. The tartness is there but fails to surpass the sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 01:08:37 | More by stewart124

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle served in a tulip glass.

A: Pours a dark amber almost brown color forming a medium to small bubbled yellow head which dissipates quickly leaving lots of spotty lacings in the glass. A thin layer remains on top for a long time

S: Sweet and fruity. Strong notes of grapes and cherries, mainly. Notes of oak and a caramel malts backbone

T: Sweet upfront which is fruity as well, again, strong notes of grapes and cherries. Notes of wood and candy sugar. Caramel malts. Nice light sourness and a very light bitterness in the very end. A bit syrupy

M: Light to medium body. Medium carbonation. Sweet and fruity and, at the same time, mild sour aftertaste

O: Good drinkability. Refreshing beer

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 21:18:49 | More by eduardolinhalis

ianjsullivan

Maryland

3.01/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

ST: 11.2oz poured into a tulip

A: Dark brown with a think off-white head.

S: Some sour dark fruit, a bit of stone, wet malt.

T: Sweet dark fruit (raisin, prune), slight caramel, and a clean finish.

M: Medium and sweet.

O: Little aroma and little flavor, and the flavor available is mostly sweet. This beer is not worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 23:34:13 | More by ianjsullivan

spoony

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

From a 750 ml (dated October 2, 2011) into a tulip.

A-The brew is the color of swamp water: murky and brown. It is not terribly attractive, but not far from the style. There is a two-finger head of tan foam that drops to thick cap then lingers for a bit before disappearing.

S-I smell cherry cola. Seriously. This thing is sweet, with hints of cherry and oak, and something that reminds of me carbonic acid like one might find in a cola.

T-The flavors are pretty mild. I detect some cherry and vanilla up front with a touch of dark, "brune" fruit at the end. There is a fair amount of sweetness from start to finish. Sour power is very low.

M-Feel is medium to slightly heavy (for the style). There is little carbonation and a slick, watery texture.

O-I could not get the flavor cherry cola out of my head when drinking this brew. It is sweet, somewhat simple, and the malted, dark cherry flavor pretty much dominates to the exclusion of everything else. All that being said, I have had worse.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 04:40:41 | More by spoony

Guden

Maryland

3/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A- Pours a deep dark brown with just a touch of ruby highlights coming through in my Tripel Karmeliet tulip. Off white head fades quickly into an oily layer around the rim.

S- Toasty malt, cherries, fruit punch, vanilla, fennel and hints of vinegar and funk. There's also a strange sickly sweet smell laced in that I find a bit off putting.

T- Very sugary sweet, almost to soda levels, with just a little sourness and toast. Finish is still fairly sweet but has a fruit punch flavor and tanginess.

M- Way too thick for a sour beer in my opinion. Medium carbonation is alright.

O- What can I say, this is a strange somewhat artificial seeming beer. It's drinkable enough but not very complex and the sweetness is way too high for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 22:41:18 | More by Guden

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bourgogne des Flandres looks a shade of garnet with a thick layer of topper that left a foam coat on the surface after falling. Excellent lace.

Apple skins and some sweet malt. Stone fruits like cherry and nectarine. Little tartness picked up. Mellow nose with tangy pomme sweetness.

Black cherry, red apple, roasted grain, bitters, vanilla, and light wine-like notes. Very mild tartness with a hint of vinegary soured Merlot. Nice fruitiness. Tastes better than the nose smells.

Medium body with some sugary tack. Soft carbonation. Drinks easy.

Second beer in the Sour Tower Takeover tasting. Too much attenuation and not enough tartness for the style leaves this one sweet and a bit juicy.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2012 05:14:12 | More by thecheapies

colts9016

Idaho

2.93/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This is the first time that I have tried this style of beer, a thank you from Donkeyrunner. Poured into a tulip glass at 47 degrees.

Appearance: A one finger head that has terrible retention. The color of the head is light tan, foamy and bubbly. The head left some lacing on the glass, not much though. The color of the beer is dark mahogany color with reddish hues hues. The beer has some carbonation visible on the side of the glass.

Nose: A strong fruity aroma like cherries, kettle cooked caramel, chocolate, and some diacytles.

Taste: A very sweet, cherry, chocolate flavor, and cooked caramel flavors. and a high maltiness.

The mouth feel of the beer is chewy, no carbonation, and sweet.

Overall: The body of the beer is medium and the finish is medium light. Okay, do not know what to think of this beer, it does not seem like a flanders beer that is acidic or strong in flavor. To me, is lacks a lot to make this beer excellent. It is just an average beer, nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 02:10:37 | More by colts9016

DimensionX

Oregon

2.78/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Poured with an intense fizzyness that dissipated almost instantly, reminded me of a soda pour more than a beer.

S: smells funky and kinda sweet with some dark fruit character.

T: The fruit comes out first, maybe dark cherries or figs but very sweet, this is followed by a kind of funky oak brett flavor. I like the initial taste but it quickly fades into a kind of sickly sweet, slimy aftertaste.

M: seems about right but maybe a little too slick on the after taste.

O: Clearly I'm not a huge fan, it isn't bad overall but I wouldn't buy it again. The after taste is where it really lost me, almost reminds me of a root beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 02:00:32 | More by DimensionX

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

3.63/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a Duvel snifter. The pour is a deep, dark, clear mahogany with a ruby red tint. There is two fingers of khaki head that quickly dissipates. The nose is sour, a bit musty, and a little fruity. Sour cherries predominate and there are also notes of vanilla and blackberries.

Medium body and fairly firm feel. Sour cherry-like fruit notes abound on the front of the palate, but they are not overpowering. They soften and sweeten a bit and take on vanilla-like qualities, then sadly vanish. The finish is a bit weak and I don't get acidity or sweetness to linger. The only flavor that lingers is a faint, earthy, blackberry note. The beer is easy to drink and quite refreshing.

Overall, this is a good-tasting beer with some nice complexity, but there are other beers in this style with a bit more intensity and far more lasting flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 22:39:08 | More by deadonhisfeet

CloudStrife

New York

3.55/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

11.2 oz bottle poured into a snifter. 27/01/11 imprinted on the neck.

A: Pours a dark hazy reddish brown with a half finger off white head. Too opaque to see any carbonation. Head sticks around for a few minutes before fleeting to the edges. Leaves faint lacing on the glass.

S: Has a pleasant tart/sour aroma reminiscent of cherry, raspberry and apple. Some dark roasty malts hint at raisin, plum and fig. Get a background of oak as it warms.

T: Less sour than the smell would lead you to believe. Has a bold malt characteristic that balances out most of the tartness. Still there is a strong fruit taste that reminds me of a lambic. A very sweet beer. Growing on me as I drink more.

M: Has the crisp mouthfeel you would expect and a fairly light body. A little sticky from the sugars. Might be hard to knock back a few in a row.

Overall certainly worth a shot by anyone who enjoys sours. I'm more favorable toward sours leading to a higher than average score. Nice that it is year round as well.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 00:02:05 | More by CloudStrife

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a stemmed tulip: Deep plum-brown body with faint crimson highlights under a finger of khaki head.

Smells of Concord jelly, tart cherries, slight balsamic vinegar. A little on the sweet side for my liking but not bad. Some cocoa shows up, & a toasted, sweet breadiness, like pie crust.

Tart cherry skins at first in the taste, some green apple, mild cocoa, a little caramel, with that vinegar twist kicking in again. Again, on the sweet side, but some pretty good flavors going on here.

Medium-bodied, but somehow turns a little thin & (I'm not sure how else to put this) artificial, like the sweetness from a lollipop. Lightly chalky, in a good way.

As mentioned several times, this was a little too sweet for me to be loving it, but I'd have another one any day.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 21:49:35 | More by OneDropSoup

ehammond1

California

2.3/5  rDev -33.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Bottle (2010)

Thanks for opening this with me, UCLABrewN84!

(Aged for 2+ years)

Clear dark crimson and burgundy with a small light khaki colored head that leaves spots of lace down the glass.

A very sweet aroma with some medicinal cherry and grape aroma. There's some candied strawberry syrup aroma as well. There's very little tart/sour character.

The flavor too is astoundingly sweet. This reminds me of strawberry and cherry syrup with just a touch of bitterness. There's very little oak flavor or complexity, either.

Medium bodied with low carbonation.

Not a very good representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 22:26:39 | More by ehammond1

smakawhat

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours chestnut and then hits with and extremely dark brown with barley a hint of red body. A tan head is made with perhaps some fluffy consistency but settles slowly, but leaves a good collar. Dark brew.

Nose is sweet and interesting. Dry sweet clove, perhaps mace and brown sugar.

Palate hits with a very grape box sweetness. Grape juice Welches quality to the palate with a mild brown sugar. Light bodied with some density but a little hit of wet. Prickly carbonation, matches the sweetness and blurs the line between grape soda and prickly beer.

Overall this is a little too sweet for my tastes, and it's also a bit too soda like strangely. I would have it over many other beers, but I certainly don't feel the need to want to have this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 00:30:50 | More by smakawhat

elNopalero

Texas

4/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cork date 2.2010.

This pours a ruddy brown with tremendous foam sitting atop it. Looks good.

The aroma is reminiscent of sour cherries, or gourmet/fancy maraschino cherries, with a flavor to match. I think of sweet vermouth and black cherries, like 2/3rds of an expertly made Manhattan, with a sweetness matched by a mild tartness. I get some of that vermouth/bitters aroma, a layered, aged sense of different herbs and spices coming together and mellowing out, and the taste of cherries running throughout. Terribly enjoyable and readily accessible.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 19:33:49 | More by elNopalero

UCLABrewN84

California

2.43/5  rDev -29.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Bottle I brought to share at DarthKostrizer's tasting.

Bottled on 1/7/10.

Pours a clear brown with a khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, sugar, and some very slight sour aromas. Taste is of malt and sugar with no tartness whatsoever. This beer has a pretty good level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty poor beer and a horrible example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 21:43:09 | More by UCLABrewN84

bfields4

Colorado

3.38/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear amber brown body. Decent off white head dissapates quickly.

Light caramel aroma. Slightly funky. Little sour, rasins. Not an intense aroma.

Flavors are subtle as well. Lightly sour dark sweet malt. Rasins maybe a touch of vanilla.

Enjoyable sour. Won't light the world on fire, but easy dinker. The duchess light.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 00:56:55 | More by bfields4

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.43/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I just brought this back from a trip to Belgium, and I think it may have suffered during the flight. The bottle was still sealed, but missing a portion of the contents - perhaps it leaked out at altitude? Who knows, but I thought I'd better get on and crack it open. Still slightly carbonated, so hopefully not a complete disaster....

A 330ml bottle with a BB of March 2014. Picked up from a supermarket in Bruges last week. The bottle image features the famous belfry from the city centre.

Poured into a Delirium chalice. A deep reddish-brown hue with low carbonation. Virtually no head; a hint of light brown froth that vanishes fleetingly. A sweet, sour, woody aroma - notes of tart cherries, subtle sherry, brown sugar and a vinegary twang in the background.

The taste is sweet, with a fruity sourness and a short, dry finish. Notes of cherries, sherry, brown sugar, malt and hints of vinegar and wood. A dry acidity upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and dry but a tad flat (even for a supposedly aged style). Lacks body. Mild aftertaste of vinegary sourness and tart cherries.

Not bad, though I find it a little too sweet and in need of improved body. The low carbonation is also a weak point, though this may have been caused by poor handling (my fault). Otherwise, it has the classic fruity sourness of a flanders red - distinct but restrained. A decent representative of these unique Belgian beers. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 00:56:54 | More by jazzyjeff13

Firkin-Bunghole

3.8/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 ml bottle-date 10/26/2010. Poured bottle into pint glass.
A: Brown with reddish hues when held up to light. A couple fingers worth of foam which lingers throughout the beer
S: Malts, sugar, fruits
T: Taste for me was better than the smell. Sweet & tart taste of cherries. Good balance between the two. Was kind of surprised at the finish: that the tartness/sweetness didn't linger at all.
M: Medium mouthfeel, surprising amount of carbonation with this beer being 18 months old.
O: Picked this one up on a whim. Saw this bottle right next to Duchesse De Bourgogne at my local bottle shop and figured worth a try. About to open the Duchesse de Bourgogne and will post on that one soon.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 00:19:14 | More by Firkin-Bunghole

troysoy2

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2 oz bottle, poured into a tulip.

Starts off with a finger of eggshell head, which diminishes to a light covering within a few minutes and then sticks around. Dark maroon, with a ruby red tint to it, and not a ton of light making it through.

The smell has a funky yeastiness to it, with tart cherries at the forefront.

Balanced and easy drinking. Up front, this ale meets the palate smoothly, with a sweet, almost soda-like cherry flavor. Sweetness is in check, but definitely something to have when you're in the mood. A pleasing dark cherry aftertaste, would be really nice if it lasted just a tad longer. The mouthfeel suits the taste: lightly carbonated, wet, refreshing.

Easy going, perhaps unremarkable. I enjoyed drinking Bourgogne des Flandres Brown Ale, but it'd be hard to justify dropping the dollars to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 03:01:20 | More by troysoy2

PorterLambic

Florida

4/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Arrives amazingly dark, Ruby would be paler in comparison. Nice 1" head sits atop it though it is gone in a couple of minutes. Good lacing.
Smell is very tart and sour with cherry dominant and lesser notes of cardboard and vanilla.
Taste is cherry and malt, sour and tart. Delicious.
Medium bodied and medium effervescence. ABV is not at all noticeable. Aftertaste is less tart, more malt. Not as good, to me at least, as Duchess du Borgogne, but in the neighborhood.

Serving type: on-tap

02-10-2012 02:55:04 | More by PorterLambic

silentjay

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

dark cherry brown color with a light khaki head that rises to 2 fingers, settles at 1 and laces decently.

pretty tame aroma of black cherries, some sweet malts, a touch tart but more sweet.

flavor starts sweet and malty with a yeasty backdrop and some black cherry flavors after that, a bit candy-like, with just a slight tartness and a quick clean finish.

thin bodied with subtle carbonation and nothing left on the palate.

I'd drink it again, but for the price I can find much better examples of the style. just a bit too muted on every aspect.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 04:37:10 | More by silentjay

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.63/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a dark red amber with a one finger medium pinkish white head with good retention and lacing. Aroma is sweet malt and sour fruit, cherries. Mellow flavor of cherries, sour and sweet, finishes with a well blended flavor of dark fruit, malt and cherries somewhat tangy. Moderate bodied. Somewhat subdued in flavor, but pleasant and satisfying to drink. This is a one year old bottle with unknown storage details (may be a bottle from distributor storage).

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 04:30:03 | More by LiquidAmber

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

2.8/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Chestnut brown pour with a cocoa mix grayish brown head. Fair retention in the shape of a footprint. Fancy silkscreen bottle art.

Smells like black forest cake batter and tastes like Weight Watchers black cherry diet soda. More of a sweet burst in back rather than any tart or sour Flanders character.

I've got 2 bottles left, who wants'em?

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 11:19:18 | More by donkeyrunner

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer pours a dense walnut brown body with a little light glowing at the base of the glass. There is a sticky beige head that sticks to the glass in sheets but doesn't last.

S- The soft bright almost citrus orange tartness has some wet raw oak and rhubarb notes that grow as the beer opens.

T- The blend of cola and wet wood led to a mellow tartness and some brown sugar sweetness that starts to develop as it opens. There is a touch of cherries and citrus hints to a bright tartness in the finish. A well blended brown malt and dry toffee note has some paper oxidation notes and a faint aspirin quality to follow. There is a bitterness of grapefruit pith in the finish aswell.

M- The medium mouthfeel has a touch of fizz in the finish but it is gentle.

O- This beer is bright with some nice fruity depth to it and a soft tartness but it becomes a bit too sweet as it warms and the tartness is a bit too mellow to combat that.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 22:26:36 | More by rhoadsrage

danedelman

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-deep mahogany copper with a nice tight bubbly head about 1 finger high.

S-cherries mixed with some pineapple and a bit of a goat cheese/funk to it. Sour is a big smell too in this one.

T-subtle flavor. I mainly get the malt, and wheat with a hint of cherries. Not real sour at all. Drinks like a Rodenbach or duchesse de borgogne but without the full flavor of those. I have to be honest, I am very suprised how subtle this one is as the smell is pretty good and complex.

M-medium body, maybe a bit syrupy and plenty of bubbles.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 22:50:12 | More by danedelman